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North Schuylkill's Nick Sanayka chugs toward home plate to score a third-inning run during Thursday's Schuylkill League Division I game against Tamaqua. The burly designated hitter was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the Spartans' 8-2 victory.

david mckeown/staff photo
North Schuylkill right-hander Matt Smarkanic delivers during Thursday's Schuylkill League Division I game against Tamaqua. Smarkanic scattered eight hits as the Spartans beat the Blue Raiders 8-2 to tighten the Division I title chase.

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Bobby Grigas is listed on North Schuylkill's baseball roster as a freshman.

He definitely doesn't play like one.

The North Schuylkill lead-off hitter and center fielder went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored Thursday as the Spartans downed Tamaqua 8-2 in a key Schuylkill League Division I game.

Grigas also made a pair of spectacular catches in center field as the Spartans (13-4, 8-3 D-I) won their seventh straight game and kept their Schuylkill League playoff hopes alive.

On Senior Day, it was a freshman who stole the show.

"I can't say enough about him. He's a great player," North Schuylkill coach Nick Brayford said of Grigas. "Right from the start, he set the tone."

Grigas isn't your usual freshman, having made an immediate impact on the North Schuylkill athletic programs since he stepped onto the Cresswell Gardens campus.

Grigas played in every football game but one, ending the season as the Spartans' quarterback as North Schuylkill won the Eastern Conference Class II title. He played in 22 of the Spartans' 23 games in basketball, averaging 4.3 points.

In baseball, Grigas has been North Schuylkill's lead-off hitter and center fielder since the season began in March. His presence at the top of the lineup and in center field is a big reason the Spartans are in the Division I title chase.

Grigas, a left-handed batter, got the North Schuylkill offense going in the bottom of the first inning Thursday with a lead-off triple

down the right-field line off left-hander Josh Zehner. Jake Damiter followed with a single to right to give the Spartans a quick 1-0 lead.

North Schuylkill broke the game open with a five-run second inning, combining two singles, two walks and three Tamaqua errors to take a 6-0 lead.

Grigas reached on an error and scored in the frame, while Matt Smarkanic had an RBI single and Damiter stole home.

Nick Sanayka, who was 2-for-3, had an RBI single and scored on Grigas' double in the third inning as North Schuylkill upped its margin to 8-1.

"I've been struggling batting, and I've been working on my swing," Grigas said. "He put it right where I like it, and I finally got one. Coach just wants me to put it in play, so I had to do my job."

The early cushion was plenty for Smarkanic, as the junior right-hander scattered eight hits, struck out five and walked none in a complete-game effort.

Tamaqua scored single runs in the third and fourth innings on RBI singles by Bo Rottet and Luke Matsago, but Smarkanic was able to avoid big innings by making key pitches and getting big plays behind him defensively.

"Matt Smarkanic is a competitor. He competes," Brayford said. "His strongest attribute is that he wants to be better than the other person.

"Matt pitched his way out of innings with guys on. We came up with some big plays with two outs."

Among the key defensive plays were a line-drive, 6-4 double play in the sixth inning and a pair of key catches by Grigas.

In the first inning, Grigas tracked down Matt Roberts' bomb at the warning track in right-center for the final out. In the seventh, he made a highlight-reel, full-extension diving catch of Bo Rottet's sinking liner.

"It was a low ball, but I thought I could catch it," Grigas said. "I ran as fast as I could and just aired out. I do that a lot in practice, so I was ready for something like that."

With one week left in the regular season, Tamaqua (11-5, 8-2) and Pottsville (11-5, 8-2) are tied for first place in Division I and have two games remaining. The Blue Raiders and Crimson Tide face each other Monday in Tamaqua.

North Schuylkill sits a half-game back, with only a game Wednesday night at Pine Grove left in league play.

"Getting a win today was important, not just for the playoffs, but you want to get the seniors a win on Senior Day," Smarkanic said. "After we got the lead, I just focused on throwing strikes. I didn't have to do too much.

"Right now, we're clicking. We're hot. We need to just keep it going."

Tamaqua could have clinched a league playoff berth with a win Thursday. The Blue Raiders were hampered, however, by four errors in the first three innings, and Zehner allowed six hits and eight runs in 2.1 frames.

Tamaqua will play four games in a span of five days, facing Nativity on Saturday and Pottsville, Kutztown and Blue Mountain from Monday to Wednesday.

"It wasn't our day. I don't think we were mentally prepared to play today," Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading said. "We weren't hitting spots with pitches, we made miscues in the field. It's tough to bounce back against a good team like that."

Game Summary

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